Laab
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Laab is a northeastern food. It is a appetizer, but also can be used as a main dish because it is quick and easy to cook; and it tastes great!
Normally, Laab is accompanied by fresh vegetables like cabbage, green beans, Thai basil, and Thai water spinach. For a fuller meal, Laab is eaten with Sticky Rice.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon toasted rice
1/4 shallot, thinly sliced
1 lime
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 tablespoon ground dried chili pepper
3 tablespoons Fish Sauce
5 sprigs cilantro, sliced
3 sprigs spearmint, optional
1 green onion, sliced, optionalSqueeze juice from 1/3 of the lime on to the ground pork. Mix well and let it marinate for just a couple of minutes until you are ready to cook it.
Heat up a pan on high until it is very hot. Add 2 tablespoons of water and then immediately add your marinated pork and stir. The pork will stick to the pan at first, but then the juice will come out and the meat will loosen from the bottom. Keep stirring until the pork is well done.
Put the pork in a bowl for mixing that will hold all the ingredients. Add the fish sauce, green onion, shallot, cilantro, the rest of the lime juice, ground chili pepper, and almost all of toasted rice into the bowl. (Save some toasted rice to sprinkle on top for garnish). Mix well and taste. It should be a little bit hot. You should be able to taste tartness and the fish sauce. If you need to add more fish sauce or lime juice, don't be afraid. Getting the flavor balance righ is a trial and error process.
Put the mixed ingredients in a serving bowl, garnish with spearmint and sprinkle the rest of the toasted rice on top. Serve with vegetables like cabbage, green beans, lettuce and Thai basil.
Makes 2 to 3 servings
NOTES - Substitute any ground meat for ground pork. REd onion or just onion can be substituted for the shallot, if you wish. The spearmint adds zing to the Laab.